The Legend of Piña
Once upon a time,
there was a woman who
lived with her daughter,
Pina in a tiny hut in a
village. There were very
poor and the mother
worked day and night for
their daily needs. No
matter how hard she
worked, she could never
get any help from her
daughter.
Pina was a lazy, spoilt kid who liked to play in the backyard
all day. Whenever her mother asked for help, she would always
find an excuse by saying that she could not find the object needed
to complete the task. If her mother asked her to sweep the house,
she would say that she could not find the broom, even if it was
just right in front of her. Her mother always ended up doing all the
work by herself.
One day, her mother became very ill. She called out to Pina
and said, “Pina, come here. I am very sick. Can you cook some
porridge for me? I am so weak that I cannot get up!” Pina ignored
her mother and she continued playing in the backyard. “Pina,
come over here now!”, Pina’s mother gathered all her strength
just to call her. Pina angrily stopped and went inside the room.
“What do you want, Mama? You really want me to cook for
you? That’s too hard! I cannot do it!” Pina complained pouting and
stomping her feet. Her mother told her the recipe to cook porridge
and told her that whatever she would need was there in the
kitchen. Pina reluctantly left and went to the kitchen.
After some time, her mother heard her opening the back
door sneaking out into the backyard. Her mother waited and
waited. Finally, she called out to Pina again. “Pina, did you cook
like I told you?”
“No!” Pina answered.
“Why not?” her mother asked tiredly.
“I did not because I could not find the ladle,” Pina said.
“Oh, you lazy kid. Probably you did not look for it. What am I
going to do with you, Pina? I am so sick but I cannot even count
on you,” cried her poor mother.
The mother wept bitterly. In her rage, she shouted, “I wish
you would grow a thousand eyes all over head then you can find
what you are looking for. Maybe then, Pina you won’t have
excuses!” As soon as she said this, there was complete silence.
Her mother thought, “She was trying to be quiet so I can forget
asking her again,” she sighed.
She was hoping that Pina would come back. Realizing that
her wait was futile, she slowly got up to do the cooking by herself.
When she looked out into the backyard, Pina was nowhere to be
found. She sighed again and said, “Now she must have gone to
her friend’s house. She did not want to do any errands for me!”
Feeling tired, she went back to her room for a much-needed rest.
Hours passed by and then days. Still there was no sign of
Pina. With a heavy heart, she though that Pina ran away. When
she recovered from her illness the first thing that she did was to
look for Pina. No one had seen or heard from her. It was as if she
disappeared into thin air.
Months passed and still there was no sign of her. The
mother felt very bad for her angry outburst. She feared that she
might never ever see her daughter again.
One day, while sweeping in the backyard,
where Pina used to play, she noticed a very
strange plant growing at the very spot where
she last saw Pina. By this time, the leaves of
the plant had fully opened. Inside, she saw a
very strange yellow fruit. It looked like a child’s
head with so many eyes.
She suddenly remembered the hurtful words
she said that day. Then she realized her
mother’s love had spoiled her daughter, but her anger
unknowingly cursed her. Somehow, her daughter had turned into
this plant.
She named the fruit “Pina” to honor the memory of her
daughter. The fruit grew so well that it bore more and more fruits.
It became very popular among the villagers and the entire
country. It name later changed to “Piña”.
Sources: https://www.bedtimeshortstories.com/the-legend-of-pineapple and Merriam
Dictionary
